Heesen is proud to announce the delivery of VanTom, the sixth yacht in the popular 50 metre semi-displacement class designed by Frank Laupman at Omega Architects. The delivery took place in international waters on February 14, 2018 after intensive tests in the rough winter waves of the North Sea. The sea trials took place on January 12 and 29 in Beaufort 4 and 6, with North westerly winds and waves up to one metre.

Captain David Burge comments: “During sea trials, the yacht handled extremely well and gave a very smooth ride, even whilst proceeding at a speed of over 20 knots with a sea running. I am most excited about our maiden voyage down to the Mediterranean Sea and very much look forward to the 2018 summer cruising season.”

VanTom exceeded the contractual speed by 0.3 knots, reaching a top speed of 23 knots, while at 11 knots she has a transatlantic range of 3,100 nautical miles. With a Gross Tonnage of below the 500GT threshold, VanTom sports a highly efficient hard-chine hull and propulsion system that is both quiet and vibration-free, even at higher speeds.

Arne Ploch at Camper & Nicholsons, who represented the client’s commercial interests during the construction, comments: “It was a real pleasure to work with Heesen throughout this new build for the past two years. It’s been a smooth relationship based on mutual trust and respect, the way it should be when building a new yacht. It has been a great experience for the owner and his team.”

The Heesen 5000 Aluminium class has proven to be a revolutionary offering. Hinging on a semi-custom platform, the pioneering concept enables clients to have a yacht they can customise that relies on proven design and technology, reducing both client costs and construction times.